Barcelonism
FC Barcelona is the greatest club of the world in any
other country and any other sport branch.
What is reason of this? Everything has a
reason. Altough people from Barcelona or
actually Catalans don't want to set up a
separate country from Spain, they have a
more indefinite desire than it: The symbols
which shows that Catalans are more
different than Spanish. Catalans' single
wish is to have symbols of a nation.
Catalans don’t obstain from they say
that: Catalunya es Espanya (Catalonia is Spain).
Here’s so that Barça is the biggest football club
all over the world and it has 130.000 members.
Barça is a symbol that a nation needs instead
of setting up a new country. So, Barcelonism
is a great passion. For Barça, employers,
players or administrators’ toughts are
unimportant. Barça, for its real supporters,
if what it signifies is it. Barça has supporters
in every country. There is even a
FC Barcelona fan club in Tianjin city in
China. However, all these supporters
belong to Barcelona, Catalonia and a
region whose capital city is Barcelona.
In the time of The Spanish Civil War
by the 1930s, Catalonia was the most
resistible region against El Caudillo
(General Franco). Barça is more
famous than Catalonia hundreds
of times and it is the most important
source of Catalan pride. It was only
source of pride when Franco managed Spain.
Franco was a keen Real Madrid supporter.
So, Nou Camp was becoming full in the
matches between Barcelona-Real Madrid.
Catalan flags were forbidden by Franco
were hanged in these matches, at the end
of the matches, the supporters were as
tired as the footballers. Catalonia was
living on in Nou Camp and only Catalan
symbol Franco couldn’t dare to harm
was Barça. Going towards football in
a muzzled nation is such a normal
event. Altough Franco died a long
time ago, Barça is still symbol of Catalonia.
It’s reason that Barça is the biggest football
club of the world and so it is believed in
being sacred in Catalonia. In order to not
violate the sacredness of its colors, Barça
stil rejects to take an advertisement to
its jersey.
According to Catalans, Barcelona is more than just a club.
It symbolizes the struggle soul and the nation’s integrity
against the centralizm of Madrid. The inclined heads
against Madrid for years have got up thanks to
Barça. In July of 1997, before Copa del
Rey Final match between Barcelona-Real Betis,
which was played in Bernabeu Stadium of Madrid,
millions of Catalans were in tears because firstly
national anthem of Spain and then national
anthem of Catalonia was played from the
loudspeakers. Supporter from Barcelona
who is always “different” because of living in a
cultural capital city is a person that insist on
the autonomy of “Generalitat de Catalunya”
and the identity of Catalan to the public of
Spain. According to this, actually squad of Barça
or its success is not too much important.
The most important thing is a slogan which
symbolizes the Catalan’s integrity:
“Barça, Barça, Barça!” This experience being
lived collectively reaches very important point,
for instance, the jersey of Barça which seems
like a Catalan flag by Barça supporters is
not taken an advertisement, in fact, neighbouring
team Espanyol is accused of collaborating with
Spanish, which reminds the former times from
the republic. Barcelona has always shown
success in the Spanish League and Europe
according to Espanyol. However, it couldn’t
escape from being target of the dictators from
time to time. One of them came true in 1925
and Les Corts, the former stadium from Nou
Camp, shut for six months. For this shutting,
this happening events which happened in a
football match between Barcelona and the
personnel of a English ship had been pleaded
and the shutting down came true. These
events didn’t happen between two sides.
At the beginning of the match when the
anthem of two countries was played, The
Spanish anthem was whistled, while the
British anthem was being played, the
people clapped for it. As a result, Joan Gamper,
the club president, had to abandon the country
(In 1937, Joan Gamper was killed by General
Franco supporters in the country that Gamper
had escaped). However, Catalan public has united.
The salaries of the footballers were paid by the
public and so none of the footballers leaved
the club. Barcelona is a team that has taken
the reward of doing a lot of things for the struggle
and promotion of Catalonia. According to people
from Barcelona, the democracy in Spain began
with Barcelona beat Real Madrid by five
goals to nil in Madrid in 1974, not with
Carrero Blanco was killed in 1973.
Every year a paint competition is held
and Picasso, Miro, Salvador Dali participated
in this competition at the time. In fact,
the Barcelona emblem that was drew
by Miro takes part in the football
museum of Barcelona which is a
magnificent building. Being
“more than just a club” is the greatest
characteristic of FC Barcelona.
If Barça is compared to Manchester United,
Manchester United seems like a third league club.
Today, the numbers of people to go to the
museum of FC Barcelona outnumbers the
numbers of people to go to the museum of Picasso.
Barcelona is the team of of a rebellion in Spain.
Barcelona is a lifestyle for Catalans.
If Barcelona is well, Catalans are well, too.
If Barcelona is bad, Catalans are bad, too.
Because Barcelona is the biggest representative
of the rights and the liberties that Catalonia
has obtained with a great struggle in Spain.
Today, we can’t find too much book written
about Barça. There are topics which as
sacred as writing can’t be written about.
If some topics are ordinary. “Barça is
stil as sacred as writing can’t be written
about. As a Catalan said, "Some people,
too, go to the Barça’s matches because
of liking football."
